Nurse Anesthesia

The Nurse Anesthesia Program was established in 1942 as one of the professional schools of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest’s School of Medicine. Through a cooperative effort between the hospital and the School of Nursing at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, program graduates earn a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree in the anesthesia nursing concentration in addition to exceeding all requirements for certification.

The program offers high-quality education and experience to a select group of professional, registered nurses in order to satisfy the need for competent anesthetists and to prepare graduates for a lifelong study and practice of anesthesia.

The program strives to produce graduates who are not only expert clinicians, but also ambassadors who will demonstrate principles of professionalism, commitment, accountability and stewardship for the profession.

Annual Fund

The Nurse Anesthesia Program Annual Fund, established in 1993, provides and maintains a reliable source of annual operating support of the program. Gifts are unrestricted and are used to support students and faculty wherever the need is great, as determined by the program director and North Carolina Baptist Hospital’s vice president of operations.

Annual Fund money has been used for library acquisitions, technology to enhance education (LCD projector), teaching models, scholarships, student research, tuition for special courses (neonatal resuscitation), hands-on workshops on regional anesthesia and difficult airways, and seminars on professional issues. The fund also sponsors student leaders for state and national seminars and supplements student contributions for graduation ceremonies.

The scholarship fund honors the dedicated service of Sandra Maree Ouellette, ’69 NA, who served as director of the Nurse Anesthesia Program for 35 years until her retirement in 2005 and as president of the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists.

The Office of Development and Alumni Affairs is working to establish the Ouellette Scholarship Fund at North Carolina Baptist Hospital with a $50,000 fundraising goal needed to endow the scholarship, which will provide one or more scholarships to nurse anesthesia students at the hospital. Scholarships will be awarded based upon financial need, academic ability, demonstrated leadership and special talents in accordance with the program’s established policies and procedures. A scholarship may be renewed for succeeding years to a student who demonstrates continuing ability and need.

During her tenure, Ouellette guided the program to several benchmark achievements, including the beginning of the graduate program in collaboration with the UNCG School of Nursing in 1988; the expansion of the clinical education base to 16 full-time clinical sites; the growth of the teaching staff to more than 40 faculty by 2000; the receipt of maximum accreditation on all reviews; and the continuation of a 100 percent pass rate on the Certification Examination.

To contribute to the Sandra Maree Ouellette Nurse Anesthesia Scholarship Fund or for more information, please contact Donna Chamberlain, Annual Funds Coordinator, at 800-899-7128 or 336-716-4400.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is for general informational purposes only and SHOULD NOT be relied upon as a substitute for sound professional medical advice, evaluation or care from your physician or other qualified health care provider.